


1977

by mangohaz



Series: The 70's [4]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: It's quite happy!, M/M, No one wants this, Others are mentioned vaguely, South Africa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 17:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11514351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangohaz/pseuds/mangohaz
Summary: Nothing bad ever happened at Kyalami





	1977

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiiya!! So, this has taken me like 6 months and I mean, you think about how im spending my time for 2240 words to take me 6 months but thats neither here nor there. I hope you enjoy this attempt at being fluffy i guess its all in gd fun :)))))))))) ALSO its 10 to 3am so.... cut a bitch sm slack

South Africa, James remarked, while being ‘hot as fuck’ was not as hot has he had expected. He was lounged back in his seat compiled of 3 Bridgestone tyres and a blanket covering the gap to keep him upright. Niki had arrived outside the McLaren garage, thermals lost in the whirlwind of the Saturday morning leaving just flimsy cotton overalls tied around his waist, he had called James a “bloody idiot” then when asking what the hell he was sitting on, he was only given the answer of ‘This, Niki dearest, _this_ is my throne.’

  
The two now sat together, overlooking the general goings on of the paddock in the scorchingly hot midday. James had snatched pole from Niki earlier and was still bathing in the glory of Niki’s agitation to win.

  
As they sat and watched the world go by, James’ hand snuck closer and closer toward Niki’s right so he could run his thumb along a particular piece of scarring that ran from the join of his thumb to the curve of his wrist. James said that one reminded him of the Central Line that they would take late at night to go from Piccadilly (where James’ and a reluctant Niki's ‘favourite’ bar was) to Marylebone where they would stumble for 10 minutes along the dark streets back to their once again shared flat. Niki shot James a look of warning as people around them walked by with their eyes trained on just the thumb slowly working it's way up and down the hand.

  
“Be realistic Niki, we’re the worst kept secret since Jackie and Francois.” Niki replied with only a low hum in disapproval of his example, he knew better than to speak ill of the dead, or even to just speak of the dead's secrets.

  
There was really no reason for the pair to still be milling around the paddock with the cars having been put away for the day as they had to get out as early as possible when the temp was as low as it was going to get and the sun only just creeping over the horizon so now, in the midday heat, the pair lounged in each other's company. They were still sitting in the middle of the pits only now someone had found them both a chair each where they able to share a cigarette.

  
There was a bubble of silence surrounding them as machines screeched and groaned on either side of them both, the pair were too engrossed in each other and the roll up that was being passed between them as they awaited anything to keep them busy to notice the general goings on of the pit lane

 

The press had stopped hounding them so much after the winter break, the season was over and with it went the drama, too. Niki and Marlene were no longer a couple so the German gossiping press no longer felt the need to show up to such events as well as the Mail abandoning GP’s without the assured appearance of Suzy there to get a headline out of. It felt like normal racing again, while the most ridiculous job in the world, James felt calm doing it again like going out for his hot lap was just going down to the printer room or going to get coffee with colleagues, or basically whatever people with strikingly boring jobs did. Not that racing had become boring to him, just the norm, what he knew. The thought that anything bad could happen again almost seemed funny. A crash couldn’t hit twice, an accident was basically like chicken pox in James’ eyes, at least. Not that it meant he couldn’t get hit but really, what was the bother about that. As long as Niki was safe and able to return of their shared home in London after the weekend's, James didn’t really mind what happened. Admittedly, they were in South Africa, as previously mentioned so the best James could hope for was Niki returning to their shared room in the resort. But wherever he returned to didn’t matter that much to James, so long as Niki was able to return with James to wherever they had made home that week.

The pair rose early the next morning, a quick peck to Niki’s forehead before he was shoved toward the shower before their pre race game of tennis. James didn’t really enjoy tennis, sure the pair were looking at homes in Wimbledon (Niki would say he was looking and walk around the house then a week later James would do the exact same thing and if they were ever discovered they just joked that the competition did go on off track) but James really was just looking for an excuse to see Niki in little white shorts and even, sometimes, if he was lucky, a white headband to match that scraped back his hair so the sweat would settle on his cheekbones making them shine every time the light hit them and in turn, made Niki look like he was sent from the God’s above.

James was only just getting used to being in love with Niki. Not that he’d admit it, yet, give him a few years. But perhaps he’d loved Niki since they met. Anyway, even if James were to tell the younger man that he loved him and was still in love with him, maybe even would be until the day he died, James could be positively sure that Niki would not ~~be able to~~  respond in kind and while Niki may still love James without saying it he knew the subtle rejection would probably break James’ heart all the same.

James had his head resting in his hands, elbows bent and leaning on his knees as he watched Niki swing a few times into the air then shout something probably obscene in German to Clay who just smiled in his sly sort of way that knew nothing Niki said had any bite behind it. James couldn’t help but smile at the subtle gentleness behind Niki that would only come out in the early morning or late at night or in those quiet open moments between the pair when no one really cared about them or what they were doing.

Niki called his name, then realising James was too spaced out to hear it, kicked his shin. The older man jumped to attention and smiled dozily up at Niki from where he was sat. Niki smiled back, with the same dazed smile, before quickly remembering they were in company and steeled his face once more.

“Your turn, arsehole.” James grinned in response.

“Of course,” then held a hand above his head that far surpassed where Niki’s own hand was resting at his side in a silent ask to be helped up. The racket dropped to the floor immediately as Niki took to his hand and yanked him up.

Clay was giving them a look but said no words as he watched the pairs hands intertwin for seconds too long. No words were said but for the quick quirk of his eyebrows that only Niki caught. Or so he thought, so focused on the other man's reaction he missed James’ stifling a chuckle at the childishness of the situation.

The game continued as Niki moved to replace himself in James’ seat, the two taller men began hitting the ball back and forth until James eventually got too ahead of himself and hit the ball into the net, and the racket after that. Clay took his leave as James began to pick up his equipment while Niki stood at the gate of the metal fencing and waited for him, quiet until Mario wandered past, looking soggy from the pool, and only then deciding he needed to shout German obscenities in James’ direction in an slightly obvious (and some might even say - sad) attempt to keep the facade up. Instead of responding James turned to Niki for less than a second, a grin deviously splitting his face before straightening up with his racket in hand and moving toward the gate.  
“C’mon darling, we have a race to prepare for, get the adrenalin going, blood pumping, all of that.” James crowded himself up against Niki after realising there was no one looking, the pair were laughing together as they began the short walk back across the grass. No one was about, everyone already having run off to their rooms for a quick last minute shower or wank or whatever, leaving the pair to stay as close as possible, James’ large hands wrapping around Niki’s waist and squeezing tightly. The contact forced a peel of laughter out of Niki that caught the attention of some of the richer attendance of the GP and forced the two men to leap apart from each other in a lost attempt to remain subtle.

Their attempt to get themselves together quickly before someone had to come fetch them went out the window as James again crowded Niki up against the wall in between the wardrobe and the mini fridge. It became clear after 15 minutes that someone was going to have to be sent to collect them, Clare Scheckter being the unlucky sacrifice who came banging on the door a few minutes later and forcing the two vastly sweatier and messier looking men out of the room, bags slung over both their shoulders.

“We’re coming, we’re coming. Calm down.” Clare scoffed, shaking her head and opening her mouth as if to pass a crude comment before closing it again and continuing onward into the backseat of Jody’s company car without saying a single word.

-

Niki was on a high after his finish, he wasn’t showing it but James could tell that his blood was buzzing through him a little faster as he continued to pace around the hotel room with a small, smug smile that still seemed to be able to cover his entire face, his eyes a little brighter for the first win of the season. He hadn’t said anything yet but he was still happily walking around the room and so James let him do it until he tired himself out, or spoke, either or. The James in question was laying back on the bed, half paying attention to the South African sitcom playing in the background with no sound and half on the circular pacing of his significant other.

There was the continued silence until suddenly, “The pool. It’s open, right?” James’ eyebrow quirked but it couldn’t hide the smile that took over his face.

“For the race winner? Yeah, probably.”

No more words were needed as James’ leapt from the bed, slipping the key into the back pocket of his shorts then taking Niki’s hand and pulling him out of the small room and round the back of the little buildings that made up the rooms then toward the Olympic sized pool, Niki had to loop his fingers through the belt holes of James’ jeans after his third attempt across the 100m stretch to try and pull them down and ditch them on the grass. Niki gave up his efforts after they had clambered clumsily over the tall fence leading to the pool, most likely put there to ward off exactly them.

The pair stripped bare in the dark, slipping into the pool via the stairs still hot from the days sun as to not attract attention to themselves, before beginning to splash around messily and loudly, hitting each other with big handfuls of water and squealing and giggling like children every time they pushed a big faceful of water at the other. Footsteps beside the pool forced them to duck under and hide below the surface, in the few seconds they had together in complete darkness and silence James reached out into the water, his other arm flapping wildly to keep him under, and grabbed onto Niki’s arm, dragging him forward and planting kisses wherever he could reach until he found his way to Niki’s mouth. Holding him there as long as he could until Niki started to kick at his legs, forcing the pair of them back into the open air.

James was gasping for air as the thought hit him. Now. Niki’s hair was flat against his skin while his eyes shone in the moonlight above their heads, largely the only thing James could seen was the sparkling white of his teeth that came with the jittery smile Niki was staring him down with. His arm stretched out and pushed the hair, drying again into their original curls already in the unbelievable heat. The younger moved to miss the affectionate touch until James’ fingers curled through the front of his fringe and pushed it back against his head.

“I have something to ask you, Nik, and you can say no. I- I- I have something to go with it back in my suitcase, but I thought I’d just ask you first and just see what you said before I went ahead fully best not get shot down, you know, gotta crowd source my ideas before I do anything stupid, and what better critic than y-”

“Shut up, James and spit it out.”

“Would you like to, perhaps, one day in the future, marry me?” Niki spoke but James’ ears were filled with chlorine water, “Huh?”

He spoke again, quieter this time with his thumb and forefinger pressing against the bridge of his nose as he said it as if to conceal the words, “Ja.” James’ grin grew.

“Say it again, Nik, for me?”

Niki’s smile almost spoke for him, but the words felt better, “Absolutely, of course, ja.”


End file.
